Cali
Lechon in Cali
By NickAtNight on April 28, 2011
While it may look like the head of a demon, this is merely the remains of a lechon, or roast pig. A popular custom in Colombia during the Christmas holidays is for a large family or several neighbors to buy a live pig. It is then slaughtered and roasted over an open fire. In times past, this would be done, literally, in the street, nothing says Christmas like a bunch more...
Medellin, Cali Among NYTimes Favorite Destinations
By Colombia Beat on April 12, 2011
The readers of the New York Times have spoken and, for the second year in a row they've said, "Colombia!" In a recent article, the New York Times interactively listed its readers' top picks for travel destinations in 2011 -- Cali was ranked #16 and Medellin #36. The popularity of Colombia continues to explode and it's likely that the only reason Cartagena did not make more...
Tulcán Cemetery Harbors Stephen King Surprises
By Colombia Beat on April 9, 2011
There's not much to do in Tulcán, Ecuador, near the border, so when I queried a taxi driver about sites to see and he told me the cemetery, I thought he was tacitly confirming that there was, in fact, not much to do in Tulcán. Asking around, I learned that the cemetery was only a few blocks from my hotel so, with nothing else to do one afternoon, I wandered to the more...
Crossing the Colombia-Ecuador Border Overland
By Colombia Beat on April 6, 2011
If you plan to head south by land from Colombia into Ecuador, you'll be traveling a path traveled by few gringos. However, the wonderfully friendly people of southern Colombia, the spectacular mountain views, coupled with a painless border crossing, make this trip off the beaten path well worth the effort. The Pan-American highway (in Spanish, the Interamericana) is more...
Drug Smuggling Submarine Seized In SW Colombia
By JoshCase on February 27, 2011
The Colombian military seized a privately built 100 foot, fully-submersible submarine recently near the Colombia-Ecuador border. The submarine, complete with periscope and air-conditioning system and deemed ocean-worthy by experts, is believed to have been commissioned by Colombian cocaine traffickers to carry the contraband to Mexico or perhaps all the way to the more...
Finding English Language Books In Colombia
By NickAtNight on February 25, 2011
Not so long ago, people did something for entertainment that nowadays seems kind of quaint: they read. Whole books, not magazine articles, not one page blurbs on the internet like what you're reading now, not the ingredient list on their Cap'n Crunch box. Whole books. For those of us who still read, Colombia is something of a wasteland, at least as far as English more...
Windsurfing Mecca Near Cali
By Colombia Beat on February 17, 2011
About 50 miles from Cali, the man-made reservoir of Lago Calima is one of the foremost wind- and kite-surfing locations in the world. Owing to a natural breeze that averages 20 miles per hour, some of the world's best known kitesurfers frequent Lago Calima, as do many lesser known but equally avid hobbyists. Open competitions are held during the windiest months of more...
Colombian Peso Exchange Rate